What to know about Trump's Patriot Games for high school athletes

US President Donald Trump is heading to Ohio to watch high school students compete in the Patriot Games, a sporting event set up by his administration to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding.

Two teenagers were picked from every US state to compete in the games, which are taking place in the city of Geneva, about 50 miles (80km) north of Cleveland.

Some military bases, Native American tribes and US territories are also participating.

To qualify, competitors were required to answer questions about American patriotism. The winners, one boy and one girl between the ages of 14 to 17, will each receive $125,000 (£93,000) in scholarship money.

On Tuesday, Trump will attend the final day of the games, to see the top 32 athletes compete in the final round.

The event, which began on Sunday, is taking place at the SPIRE Academy, a sports training facility and boarding school.

It is being hosted by the White House-backed non-profit group Freedom 250, which has also hosted other events to coincide with the 250th anniversary of US independence.

The group was behind the UFC fight at the White House last month and the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington DC.

Danielle Alvarez, Freedom 250 spokeswoman, said: "The 2026 Patriot Games is about more than competition, they're about the grit, character, and optimism that have carried America for over 250 years.

"These young athletes represent the very best of who we are and the promise of what's still to come."

The competition events include track and field activities, dodgeball and kickball, a team sport that combines the rules of baseball and soccer.

The games are airing live on ESPN, with a one-hour special to be broadcast on the ABC network this Thursday at 21:00 EDT (01:00 GMT Friday).

The Walt Disney Company, which owns both ABC and ESPN, is currently under investigation by the Trump administration.

Trump has made sport an important part of his second term in the White House. He has become the first president to attend a Super Bowl, and was also at the NBA and World Cup finals.

The Patriot Games has drawn criticism from Trump critics, who have said it lacks diversity or likened it to the fictional Hunger Games series, in which two teens are chosen from each state to fight to the death.